The Day After
by SweetWillowTree
Summary: <html><head></head>A four-shot AU version of what could happen at the end of season 2. Featuring Elena, Stefan and Damon. Doesn't take into account anything that happens after "The Last Dance".</html>
1. As I Lay Dying

**A/N: This is the first chapter of four. The concept was inspired by the title "As I Lay Dying", and I've sort of run from there. **

**Thanks for taking the time to check it out, and please let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own The Vampire Diaries, and I am using the characters without permission. Made for fun, not for profit!**

* * *

><p>As I lay dying, my senses seemed to wake up from a lifetime of sleeping. I heard every drop of my blood as it hit the floor; I could taste the tension in the air, between Klaus, Elijah and Katherine in particular. It struck me then that these three had lived a story together so long ago. I wondered about it, about how they had all felt about each other once, and about how they felt about each other now. It's strange, how concerned I was for them, as I lay dying.<p>

I took a deep breath, feeling it flow into my body, my veins and my lungs. There was a wheezing sound, like a rattle… A death rattle.

My eyesight seemed sharper, brighter somehow. The stars were shifting in the dark velvet sky, and the moon seemed to shimmer and swirl within itself.

I could smell Tyler Lockwood's hot fetid breath from somewhere to my left. He was probably dying too. A pang shot through me at the thought. I had known Tyler from the cradle; we had been friends, albeit distant, for most of our lives.

All of these thoughts raced through my increasingly sluggish brain, and my blood flowed from my body. As I lay dying.

* * *

><p>After a few eternal minutes, during which time silence reigned, lending a terrifying gravity to the proceedings, there was a loud bang, a gust of smoke, and a sudden rush of people into the room. I tried to see what had happened, but I couldn't turn, couldn't move. My body wouldn't obey me anymore.<p>

Then Stefan's concerned face appeared between me and the stars, and I wanted to cry. He was here to save me. He scooped me up tenderly and turned toward the door, but the way was blocked by one of Klaus' henchmen. My head lolled, and I grew nauseous. I tilted back with Stefan's body as he landed a hard kick to the other vampire's chest, sending him flying backwards. And then we were moving forward again.

With the change in position I could dimly see what was happening behind Stefan. I blinked slowly, watching Bonnie fighting Klaus (still in Alaric's body), Elijah backing her up, Katherine trying to escape, only to be stopped by Jeremy and Caroline. But someone was missing.

With all the strength that I had left, I lifted my head, and Damon immediately came into my line of sight. He was fighting facing me, and he was smiling, like this was the most fun he had had in a long time. Well, at least someone was having a good time.

At that thought, my heart jolted again, the shock of it making me cry out. Stefan clutched me tighter as he made his way to the door. I still watched Damon, his recent confessions weighing heavily on my mind. It was beautiful; watching him dance around, trading blows like it was choreographed. He was limitless; moving with such speed and skill that I wondered if he had been born to do this. I had never seen him fight this well before.

And then my world slowed. Not just because the bleeding still hadn't stopped, or because my brain was shutting down. No, it was something else entirely. I remembered Damon telling me that if it came down to it, he would protect my life above anyone else's. And watching him duck and weave and strike, something terrible occurred to me. He included himself. He would fight and die, really die, just to get me out of here.

And as I thought that through, my eyes still trained on him, my body still locked in Stefan's arms, Damon looked up and met my gaze. I saw a vampire behind him, and my mind screamed. I had thought that I was too weak to scream, but sound still vibrated from my vocal chords.

"Stefan!" I croaked, "Stefan! Turn around! Damon, he's…"

"Sh," Stefan cooed into my ear, "We have to get you out. We have to get you safe."

I moved, attempting to twist out of my boyfriend's arms, but he only held on tighter, shoving his way through to the door before I could get away. My vision was darkening, but I could still see relatively clearly. I could only watch, powerless and still, as the anonymous vampire pulled back his fist and punched a hole in Damon's midsection.

Blackness.


	2. Against All Odds

**A/N: I'm thinking about starting a Vampire Diaries drinking game. Take a shot every time Damon shoots himself in the foot. Hello alcohol poisoning! Goodbye liver! Also, I promise, there is a point to this story. Sort of.**

**Thanks for taking the time to check it out, and please let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own The Vampire Diaries, and I am using the characters without permission. Made for fun, not for profit!**

* * *

><p>Time passes strangely on the other side. Days and weeks passed, and I remained as I was: dying and in pain. But then the world faded away, and my eyes opened up, and I had only been gone for a moment.<p>

* * *

><p>I awoke with a start in Stefan's bed, alone. I could hear muffled voices from the other side of the door, and could even catch the odd word, like 'died', 'lived', 'blood', 'gone', 'Damon' and 'Elena'. I tried to trace back my memories; I remembered being bled, I remembered being rescued, and I remembered Damon being killed. My jaw clenched, and I leapt from the bed.<p>

The world spun as soon as I stood up. After a moment though, the room righted itself, and I strode to the door, throwing it open and causing Bonnie to scream and jump back.

"Elena?"

"Bonnie?"

We grabbed each other, hugging and crying. I had been convinced that Klaus' destruction would have killed her, and yet, here she was. She too had thought that I would die, and yet I had survived. Against all odds, we were here.

After a long moment, we released each other, Stefan looking on with amusement. I looked at him, but I couldn't meet his eyes.

"How am I -?" I asked his shoulder.

"I gave you some of my blood. You were out for a few hours, but it looks like you're fine now." He smiled proudly, and I attempted a pleasant smile in return, but the look in his eyes told me that he saw right through it. We would have to talk.

"And everyone else?" I asked, but as soon as the words left my mouth, I swayed on the spot. Stefan's hand darted out and gripped my arm tightly. I flinched.

Bonnie's eyes jumped from myself, to Stefan, and then back to me again. "Why don't we go downstairs and talk."

She led the way, and I followed, Stefan a step behind me, his presence reassuring me that I wouldn't fall. Despite my anger and disappointment towards him, and my rising panic at the thought of Damon's fate, I appreciated the safety that he offered. Once we reached the ground level, I leaned back against him, and he guided me into the living room with his arm around my waist.

Upon entering the room, I registered Jeremy's presence. I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders, knowing that my brother was alive. Next, I saw Caroline rushing towards me, inane chatter spilling from her lips. I didn't hear a word she was saying, as glad as I was that everyone here was alive and well. It was a miracle.

Once I was settled, everyone calmed down a little, and the atmosphere in the room felt grim. Bonnie's eyes drifted to the ceiling, and I wondered who was up there, and whether they were alive too.

"So, what did I miss? What happened?"

Caroline was the one who answered. She began at a part that I already knew: Elijah had taken me in the form of a gift to try and buy back Klaus' trust. The best case scenario was that Klaus would fall for it, and Elijah could betray him. At the worst, Klaus wouldn't trust his former comrade, and take both of us prisoner instead of only me. The fact that Klaus had gone for the second option was only a small inconvenience; once the rest of the group caught up to us, Elijah was able to strike relatively easily, keeping an eye out for Bonnie as she used her borrowed powers to destroy Klaus. Elijah had survived, and disappeared immediately after Klaus had been defeated. Bonnie had been extraordinarily weakened, but survived. Upon her return to the boarding house, Caroline had force fed her a number of energy drinks, which seemed an oddly simple solution to Bonnie's exhaustion. Although now she was feeling the after effects, and looked like she might drop at any second.

Once Elijah and I were gone, the Salvatore's, Caroline, Bonnie and Jeremy had mounted up. Bonnie had done a locator spell on me, and they followed us, waiting at a safe distance until the full moon was at its peak. Jeremy set a fire around the house that we were in, effectively killing the guards outside, and keeping everyone inside trapped.

They had burst in much as I remembered; Bonnie going for Klaus with Elijah watching her back, the others leaping into the fray. Stefan had broken off from the group and gotten me out. Jeremy shot the freshly-transformed Tyler with tranquilizers until he could be safely transported out. Caroline had rushed over to Damon once he had been disembowelled. He had survived, but barely. He now owed his life to Caroline, who knew that I would never forgive her if she let Damon bleed out on the floor. He was upstairs in his bedroom, too tired and injured to move.

Jeremy had fought hard, but had eventually been killed. He was only safe because the vampire who had ended him simply moved on, leaving the dead body alone. I felt a pang of sadness imagining Jeremy waking up, alone in a dark, half-demolished house, and making his way back to his friends, not knowing who was alive and dead.

Alaric was alive, but only barely. He was in one of the guest rooms, exhausted inside and out, half-dead from the Original's blood still remaining in his system. Time would tell whether he would transition or not; it was tricky business.

Once the story had been told, I absorbed the news that everyone on our side, against all odds, had survived. It was unbelievable, and if I hadn't seen it for myself, I would have discounted the tale entirely. But it was all true.

When everyone had been debriefed, Jeremy, Caroline and Bonnie left, leaving Stefan and I alone. Still not ready to talk to him properly, we went upstairs to check on Tyler, Alaric, and finally Damon.

He was paler than I'd ever seen him. His lips were chapped and dry, his sheets still covered in blood, but his hands were twitching as he slept, and the feeling of joy that stole over me at the sight of movement surprised me. I shuffled to his bed and sat down next to him, taking one of his hands in my own. His eyes opened, and his head turned toward me.

I smiled at him, and at Stefan, who was still leaning against the doorframe. Then I lay back against the pillows, and drifted off to sleep.


	3. Tomorrow

**A/N: I'm still really unsure about how this story is going, so reviews would be great! Also, one more chapter, and I promise there's a point!**

**T****hanks for taking the time to check it out, and please let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own The Vampire Diaries, and I am using the characters without permission. Made for fun, not for profit!**

* * *

><p>My sleep was almost dreamless. There were simply flashes of light and voices the warm darkness as I rested. The anxious feeling of the night before permeated my feeling of security at times. And in those moments, I desperately wished for tomorrow.<p>

* * *

><p>When I finally woke, the sun had risen. Damon was bedridden next to me, our hands still intertwined. I disentangled myself from the sheets, feeling slightly guilty that I may have caused Damon to not be able to sleep a wink. I wandered the house idly, feeling strangely free, like the first day of summer vacation. I found Stefan in the kitchen, cooking breakfast.<p>

"Hey," he said in greeting, a soft smile gracing his lips.

"Hey," I answered.

He put down the spatula that he was holding, and came over to kiss me. I pulled away quickly after a little peck, but he ignored it. "So, waffles or eggs?"

I smiled widely, trying to pretend that I was okay. I wasn't ready for that talk, not yet. "Mmmm…. Both?" He nodded, and turned back to the stove. "I'm gonna go upstairs and shower, 'k?"

He kissed me again, and then I left the kitchen, going straight up to his room and the adjoining bathroom. I had started the shower when I was startled by a voice behind me.

"Hello Elena."

Before I could scream, Katherine wrapped her hand around my head and covered my mouth.

"Sh… I'm not here to hurt you." I doubted that, and we struggled, until I bit her hand. She released me, and I spun into the wall. "Okay, if you bite me, I get to bite you." She darted toward, but pulled back at the last second. "See, I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to talk."

I wanted to say something, but I knew that my voice would shake, giving away my fear. Instead, I glared at her.

She sighed, and rolled her eyes, eventually choosing to gaze nonchalantly at the door. "Okay, I know that _my_ actions apparently screwed up your life. But you didn't die, right? No harm, no foul?" She looked right at me, and put her hands up in a motion of surrender. "So, there, I've acknowledged that. And I'm leaving town, so you can live your life in peace, or whatever."

I frowned at her. "You're just leaving, just like that?"

Katherine shrugged. "Honestly? The only reason why I would stick around would be for Stefan. And I figure that you're only human. You'll die soon enough anyway. But," she pointed at me, "The second that you two are over, I'll be back for him."

Without further delay, she turned to leave. In the instant before she left, something strange clicked, actually clicked, in my head. "Wait!" She turned to face me again, one perfectly shaped eyebrow arched in bemusement. "Maybe," I began haltingly, staring at the floor, "Maybe you shouldn't leave town just yet."

When I looked at her, she was smirking. And then she was gone.

* * *

><p>"That was a long shower," Stefan murmured when I finally returned to the kitchen.<p>

I simply nodded and set down at the place he had set for me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked after a long period of silence.

I put down the fork and sighed, looking at my food. "Stefan, I can't –" I broke off, unsure of where to go from here. "Last night, you saved me, and I'm so grateful for that, but… But I had made myself clear Stefan. If the choice came to me and someone else, I didn't want anyone to die for me."

He frowned, confused. "But no one died."

"You're right. But when we were leaving… I was so weak, Stefan. And at the last second, with my last burst of energy, I saw Damon right before he was… And I told you to go back for him. Everything was happening so fast, the extra second it would have taken wouldn't have mattered."

Suddenly, a dark look took over Stefan's face. "Damon? This is about Damon?"

"No," I covered his hand with my own, "This is about the fact that you left your brother to die, unnecessarily. I saw something in you; something that changed… how I feel."

I was quiet, letting that settle in.

"So, what? You don't love me anymore because I chose to save your life over Damon's?"

I pushed my plate away. "I don't know. It just… I don't know how I feel right now."

"Do you love Damon?"

I slammed my hands down on the table. "This isn't about Damon! This is about us! This is about the fact that I have a say in this relationship, but you don't understand that! That's what you showed me last night; that's what I can't wrap my mind around. It isn't a competition between you and your brother! I'm not Katherine!"

Stefan leaned back in his seat, and ran his hands through his hair. "Well, what do you want?" he snapped.

"Time. I need time to figure out how to deal with this. It never occurred to me that you would just leave him there. It changes things."

"Fine," he spat, standing up, "Let me know when you've sorted it out." He brushed past me, and I heard the front door slam.

* * *

><p>By the time I had finished my now cold eggs, and thrown out the waffles, Tyler had made his way downstairs.<p>

"You're alive," he said by way of greeting.

"You too," I answered, turning away from the sink to smile at him.

He took my abandoned seat. "And everyone else…?"

"Everyone's fine. Alaric's still recovering upstairs, and Damon's dealing with the gaping hole in his abdomen, but aside from that…"

We were both silent for a moment. Then Tyler regained the ability to speak. "Wow! I mean, wow! That's… Wow!"

"I know. It seems like a dream; like it's too good to be true."

We sat there for a while, talking about unimportant things like school and life. It was a wonderful feeling, not having to worry about our impending deaths. When we heard a noise from upstairs, we both went to check on Alaric.

He was stumbling around the spare room that he had woken up in, trying to make it to the door without falling.

"Whoa!" Tyler said, and strode over to offer his help.

"Ric, you should be resting. You look exhausted."

Tyler and I guided our teacher back to the bed, and the werewolf forced him to lie down. I updated him on everyone's survival, and he expressed the same surprise that Tyler had minutes before.

"Stefan said that there's a chance that you might transition, because of Klaus' blood," I informed him.

"I feel fine. Tired, hungry, and sore, but human." At my still sceptical expression, he grinned at me, baring his teeth. "See, no fangs."

Tyler barked out a laugh, and smiled, taking Alaric's hand and squeezing it. He squeezed back, reassuringly, and his eyes rolled.

"I think we should leave; you need to sleep." I looked at Tyler, who nodded. When we both looked back at the figure in the bed, he was asleep.

* * *

><p>Tyler left not long after our chat with Alaric, and I puttered around the house, not quite ready to leave, and not quite ready to go and see Damon. He had a way of spinning my head, and I was in such an emotional state, that I didn't know what I would do or say once I got up there.<p>

As the hours wore on, however, I ran out of reasons to stay downstairs, and slowly, I made my way up to Damon's room.


	4. Still

**A/N: Here it is everyone! The last chapter! I'd be on board with doing a sequel, but I'll wait to hear back from you guys. Read the whole chapter, think about, and get back to me. **

**T****hanks for taking the time to check it out, and please let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own The Vampire Diaries, and I am using the characters without permission. Made for fun, not for profit!**

* * *

><p>It's an invigorating feeling, being both excited and apprehensive at once. The butterflies in my stomach reassured me of my continued existence as I tried to prepare what I would say if Damon was awake. My palms were sweating more with every step that I took towards his bedroom. I wondered why I was so nervous. It's not like anything big would happen, right?<p>

* * *

><p>"Come in." Damon's voice drifted through the heavy door as I lifted my hand to knock. I took a deep breath and turned the doorknob.<p>

Once I pushed the door open, I caught a glimpse of him, still lying in his bed, looking much less pale, but still naked from the waist up. I rolled my eyes at his trademark smirk.

"You know, when you spend the night in a guy's bed, you don't really have to knock to come back in." He waggled his eyebrows, and I slapped his arm, sitting next to him.

"How are you feeling?" I was smiling, and it resounded in my voice.

"Positively chipper. You know, I think that everyone should get a hole punched through their body. It's a good feeling, I swear."

"Well," I leaned back against the pillows, "I know that you're okay, because the sarcasm is out in full force."

He had no answer to that, surprisingly, so he changed the subject. "Where's Stefan?"

I could feel my face drop, but I tried to force a smile. "He went out for a little bit."

Of course, Damon saw right through my façade. "Right… He just went out. And I'm supposed to believe that?"

"We got into a little argument, and he needed to blow off some steam."

"What did you argue about?" He tried to make it look like he didn't care, but it was a poor guise.

"Last night, I saw you right before you were… y'know." He nodded. "And I tried to get him to go and help you. Everyone else had a hold on the situation, so the extra minute that it would have taken wouldn't have made a difference to me. But he wouldn't listen to what I had to say, and we left." I took a shaky breath. "When I woke up, I thought that you were dead. And even though you aren't, I was still upset about the decision that he made. It… changed the way that I see him. So I told him, and we argued, and I guess that we broke up, and he left."

I wouldn't look at him when I finished my little story. I wanted to; I wanted to see his face. It would help me so much with my decision if I just knew how he felt about it.

"So," he paused and laughed a little, "You broke up with Stefan because of me?"

"No! Why do you guys keep saying that? I broke up with him because of his decision. Or my decision. He decided not to respect my decision!" Damon was still staring at me when I finally looked at him, a doubting look on his face.

And then something strange happened: I broke. It was like a dam in my brain suddenly fell apart, letting loose a flood of repressed thoughts.

"No," I whispered. "No. Because I'm in love with Stefan. I was in love with Stefan. You… You… You're my friend. And… And I'm not Katherine! I wouldn't do that!" I started sobbing inexplicably. "I wouldn't do that! That isn't me!"

As I continued to ramble, Damon surprised me: He simply reached around, put his arm around me, pulled me close, and held me.

When the tears eventually subsided, I turned my head to face Damon, only to find him much closer than I'd anticipated. When I inhaled, I could taste his breath. I couldn't think anymore. I was on auto-pilot. My body shifted itself closer to Damon's; my hand reached up to cup his cheek; my eyes closed; my heart beat one giant beat… And then, without any further action on my part, our lips met, and we kissed.

I went completely still. My heart thumped again; my lips moved against his; and I inadvertently let out a small sigh. I waited to see how far Damon would take this.

The answer? Far.

His free arm swung around and he gripped my waist. The arm around my shoulders tightened, trying to pull me closer. I submitted, rolling over and straddling his waist.

"Wait," I whispered against his mouth.

"Seriously?"

I opened my eyes. "Are you okay? I'm not hurting you, am I?"

Damon didn't answer; he simply chuckled a little and recaptured my lips. My hands pressed against his chest, nails digging into his skin. He slid his hands underneath my shirt, fingers splayed against my back, pressing me flush against him. A gasp escaped my lips as Damon moved to kiss down my neck, his teeth nipping at my pulse point. My fingers found their way into his hair before he started tugging at the hemline of my shirt. I lifted my arms, hissing when Damon's lips left my neck.

"Impatient?"

"Shut up!" I tried to make it sound petulant, but I was smiling too widely.

"Make me?" He leaned back into the pillows, and I trembled from the loss of contact.

As I moved to kiss his chest, something dripping on the sheet caught my eye. "Damon? Are you bleeding?"

His eyes were still on me as he slowly shook his head. "I thought you knew, Elena..."

The room spun, and I noticed that the slices on my arms had reopened. Blood was trickling across my abdomen, and I tried to focus on what Damon was saying.

His gaze held mine, and he spoke in a soft voice. "It doesn't stop until you die."

Blackness.

* * *

><p>I was lying on the couch in the salon of the boarding house. I could smell the stale blood, my own blood, still on my t-shirt, and for a moment, I wondered how it had gotten there. Then I remembered what had happened in Damon's bed.<p>

But when I looked around, I found that I was wearing the same clothes that I had worn to the sacrifice. It was dark out, not the afternoon as I had remembered it. Or had I remembered it?

My eyes focused on the two men in front of me; Stefan, sitting on the coffee table, staring at me. And Damon, sitting next to his brother, peering at me in sideways glances as he kept his gaze locked on the glass of bourbon clutched tightly in his hands.

"Stefan, Damon, what happened?"

Damon looked quickly at Stefan, who looked at me with sadness in his eyes as he spoke: "Klaus is destroyed. We won." He looked bitter as he said it, as though we hadn't won at all. "But you were…" He broke off, and looked down at his hands.

Then it hit me hard, like a freight train. None of it had happened; people had died; I hadn't argued with Stefan, or visited Damon. And something else occurred to me, making my breath catch in my throat, and my stomach feel like a bowling ball. I realized the choice that I would have to make: I could Drink, or Die.

The choice was mine, as I still lay dying.


End file.
